Porch shade



Patented May 11, 1926.

UNITEDSTATES 1 Ai`i15;1\1r OFFICE..

AUGUST AMREN, or AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK.

,. Ponen SHADE. f 'fj Application :led'November 17, 1922, Serial o. 601,447'.

My invention relates toa. class of devices which are usually suspended yfrom theupper portions or ceilings ofthe porches of dwelling houses or vother buildings,- their use being to shade the sunlight from those who may occupy the porch,

In devices of this character as heretofore made of straight, uniformly surfaced or fiat slats, connected by tying strings which permit them to be partially or completely rolled up or down, it has been a disadvantage that when unrolled or lowered,fthe' straight and closely meeting edges of the slats have prevented the passage of airbetween them to afford such ventilation as is desirable.

The primary object of Vmy invention is the construction 'of va porch shade, the sla-ts of which are of such formation that when they are unrolled to lowerthe shade, air is induced to pass freely between them.

A further object of my 'invention is the construction of the slats of paper or equivalent material, preferably so treated as to have the stiffness of the wood which is ordif narily used.

.A stillfurther object is the construction of the slats in such a form that they admit of the passage of the air bothv throughand between them as to such portions of their lengths as is intermediate 'of the flat areas over which the strings pass.

Another. objecty `is the incorporation or embodiment in the slats between the areas over which the strings pass, of expressed portions or baffles, which serve as'deflecting surfaces which the air encounters and by which it is aided in its passagethrough and between the slats. i

With the foregoing and other objects in view my invention comprehends a shade of a character typically illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described, the particular subject-matter which I claim as novel being definitely specified in F the claims.

r of the slat of Figure 3 taken on the line 4 4 of said Figure-3, and both views representing the slat shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Inasmuch as the formation yof slat may be modified wit-hout departing. from my invention, I have in Figures 5, 7 9, 11, 14`and 16 illustrated typical although modified forms of slat,'each of which, however, em bodies my invention and may be substituted fory the slats 'illustrated in igures 1, 2, 3L

and 4. f l

Figure 15 rrepresentsafront elevation of a modifiedform of slat, and Figure 6 is a transverse section of thevslat of Figure k5 taken on the line 66 of'said Figure 5;

Figure 7 `represents afront elevation of a modified form of slat, and Figure 8 a transverse section of thev slat of Figure 7 on the line 8 8 of said Figure 7;

Figure 9 represents va front elevation of a f modified formof'slat, and Figure 10a transverse section of the slat'of Figure 9 on `the line 10-10 of said Figure 9;

Figure 11 represents a front elevation of a further modificationfof a slat in which the baffles or offset portions are oppositely `disposed. l f

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 12---12, Fig. 11.

Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional `view taken' on line 13- -13, Fig. 11;

" Figure 14 represents a-y flont elevation of v still another modified form of slat.

Figure 15 represents a top plan view of the slat shown in Figure 14; g

Figure 16 representsa front` elevation vof still another form of slat; and

Figure 17 represents a top plan view of a portion of the slat of FigurelG. y

Similar numerals of reference k'indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings,--

1 designates a suspension bar of any ordinary type, by means of which the shade is secured to the porch.

2 designates the strings or flexible 'connections by means of which the slats are secured to the suspension bar and connected with each other.

So far as these strings are concerned, any form in ordinary use may be employed, and their application to the slats is preferably an in-andout application such as is ordinarily used.

Considering first what may be regarded as the simplest and best form of slat which is that represented in the first four figures of the drawings,-3 designates the flattened portions or those over which the strings 2 pass, and 4 an offset portion which I term a bafile and which, as best illust-rated in Figures 3 and 4, is an enlargement prefer'- ably stamped out of or molded into the substance of a slat.

The purpose of these baffles, as willcbe easily understood, is to occasion a deflection of the wind encountering the outst-anding or extended surface of the shade as a whole,

Vinto the interstices between the slats, so that a greater volume ofy air will pass through the shade than would ordinarily pass were the slats, as in the ordinary construction, simply flat pieces of uniform dimensions and strung closely to but not in Contact with each other.

In this first referred to construction each baffle is formed with oppositely inclined lateral isurfaces 6, which are the deflecting surfaces proper, and with a flat upper surface 7. The form of this baffle is in effect that of an elongated truncated cone.

In Figures 5 and 6, the baffle has an outward bulge 8 which permits of the inflow of the air through a lower opening 9 in which the formation results. The operation of this form of baffle is to occasion the inflow of air to be between the slat which embodies the baffle andthe edge of the slat below it, and not as in the case of the construction of Figures 1 to 4, between that is to say aboveand below, the edges of adjacent slats.

In Figures 7 and 8 the baffle is of conical form or not truncated as in the construction of Figures 1 to 4,-the deliecting surfaces being 10 and 11.

In the construction of Figures 9 and 10 the baffle is in a sense S-sha-ped as shown in Figure 10, the air flowing in above and around the upper flattened surface 12 and beneath the lower flattened surface 13, as indicated in Figure 10.

The baffle illustrated in Figures 11, 12, and 13 is in a sense the same baffle as that shown in Figures v7 and 8, Vexcept that its conical body formations face both forwardly as at 14 and rearwardly as at 15. The dimensions of this, so to speak,double-faced baffle, are such as convenience of manufacture may dictate.

j In the construction of Figures 14 and 15 the baffle is formed simply as a longitudinally extending offset 16 of the slat.

In Figures 16 and 17 the baflie is formed by expressing the body of the slat into a plurality of angular offsets 17.

Although I have represented several forms of slat, the baffles of which operate to oc-v casion the positive deflection of air between the slats, 'it is to be understood that other modified forms may be substituted for those illustrated and described,and that my invention is not limited to the details described further than is indicated in the appended claims, and this because, in its broader Vaspects, my invention may be embodied in various other forms.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A porch shade made up of freely spaced slats and cords laced to flexibly connect same together to provide an elongated continuous opening between adjacent slats, said slats each having uniformly spaced, flattened portions for cord accommodation and each of said slats having a baille arranged intermediate adjacent flattened portions, which bafvlies project forwardly from said slats for de- 1922. AUGUST AMREIN. 

